DixPix Photographs

SOUTH CORDILLERA

Prehistory- RUINS

Throughout the drier regions of Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, a wide variety of prehistoric civilizations left stone ruins, culminating with the Incas. These have been a boon to both archaeologists and tomb robbers, and some are now major tourist attractions.

Of course, the most famous ruin, likely in all South America, is Machu Pichu above the Urubamba River in Peru.

One of the marvels at Machu Pichu as elsewhere is the amazing Incan stonework, wherein stones, some huge, are cut and dressed to fit exactly together.

Large stones were also used at the pre-Incan center of Tiwanaku in Bolivia near Lake Titicaca, but there the similarity ends.

Many of the stones here were held together with copper grapas which would have fitted into these holes.

Tikwanaku was not a violent civilization, and had no written language, but from about 400 to 1000 AD it became a major center of administration and religion. Here is a wall featuring many heads.

The heads are set into the stonework, and each is a different carving, perhaps representing individual people.

A stella, holding its stomach as if it had just eaten something bad.

The inscription over the Portal del Sol at Tiwanaku.

Large in area, but appearing primitive, the ruins of Tastil, above Salta in northern Argentina.

And from near Salar de Atacama in Chile, the 12th century Incan fortress of Pucara de Quitor.

There are a great many important archaeological sites, but not much money to go around.

In the dryland ranges, mummies have been found on mountain tops, in saline soils and elsewhere. This is one at the Museum in San Pedro de Atacama, sometimes referred to as "Miss Chile".

But there are also treasures of many types in ruins and cemeteries, which fill museums in Peru and around the world. This has led to a prefession of robbers known as "huaceros". Here, in the Lluta Valley of northern Chile, a tomb has been destructively excavated; bones and textiles thrown aside.

An Incan road marked out by stones, at 4000 meters altitude in the Yauyos Range of Peru. These are what tied the Incan empire together.

A Vicuña Blind used by Incan and later hunters. On a ridge, the standing rocks look enough like vicuña ears that it draws males during mating season.